How does your diet help menopause bladder problems?
Maintain a healthy, balanced diet to prevent perimenopause bladder problems
The digestive and urinary systems are linked. Acid levels can have an impact on your bladder, making incontinence worse. To maintain a healthy balance, eat more alkaline-forming foods:
Vegetables – cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, celery, kale, onions, peas.
Fruits – apples, bananas, grapes, melon, orange, pears, watermelon.
Protein – almonds, tofu
Spices – cinnamon, ginger, mustard
Bump up the fibre
Constipation can weaken the pelvic floor as you strain to empty your bowels – and a full bowel can also push down onto your bladder.
Deal with constipation by eating more fibre-rich foods; berries, apples, plums, broccoli, whole grains, dried fruit and legumes to help you to digest food more efficiently and prevent constipation.
Get handy with herbs
Add bladder-friendly, non-irritating herbs such mint, parsley, thyme and oregano to flavour foods and help soothe the bladder.
Stay hydrated
Though it might sound contradictory, drinking water can help incontinence, if you get the balance right. Too much can make bladder issues worse and too little can cause dehydration, impacting on kidney function and making urine more concentrated, and likely to irritate the bladder. Women should try to drink 1.5 -2 litres (6-10 average mug sizes) of liquid per day. According to advice from the Bladder & Bowel Community website this can include decaffeinated teas and coffee, all types of diluted fruit juices, non-acidic fresh drinks, red bush tea and herbal teas such as, mint tea and dandelion leaf, that are gentle diuretics which might help to support kidney filtration.
What can make perimenopause incontinence worse?
Caffeine
Cut down on caffeine in coffee, black tea and carbonated drinks. Reduce your sugar intake and be aware that artificial sweeteners in acidic carbonated drinks may irritate the bladder. Including green tea and hot chocolate.
Fruit juice
Cranberry juice might be great for cystitis but not for urge incontinence as it can irritate the bladder. Tomatoes, citrus fruits, grapefruit and acidic fruit juices can also make problems worse for some people.
Alcohol
Alcohol is another no, no. Its diuretic action, contributes to urge incontinence, leads to dehydration and makes your kidneys work hard to remove unwanted waste from your system.
Avoid hot, fiery, overly spiced foods
Digestive irritants such as curries, hot peppers and other spicy foods can inflame your bladder - potentially making stress incontinence worse. They’re not going to help your hot flushes either! Cut out the heat and opt for mild spices or sauces that are coconut based; add yoghurt to cool those spices down.
And cigarettes too?
Yes. Nicotine can irritate the bladder adding to symptoms. As anyone who’s had a bad cough will know coughs and stress incontinence don’t make a good match. As a smoker, you may develop a cough that may add to the stress on your bladder.
